Rising SA talent ponders League future
Tue, 06 Oct 2009 16:09
JP du Plessis in action at the Craven Week
One of South Africa's brightest schoolboy rugby talents, JP du Plessis, is weighing up the merits of joining an Australian Rugby League club against staying in South Africa to take up an offer with the Golden Lions. He spoke exclusively to rugby365 about his options.
Du Plessis, who matriculates at the end of the year from Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch, sparked the interest of scouts from Australian NRL outfit, the Sydney Roosters, with his performances at the St. John's Easter Rugby festival earlier in the year.
"The Roosters approached me at the St Johns Easter festival and laid a contract in front of me," du Plessis told rugby365.
"At that stage I didn't have a contract in South Africa, so I thought I'd take this one until I get something from South Africa to compare it with."
The 18 year-old admits at that stage he 'barely knew what rugby league was all about', so he spent a few months studying the contract and finding out about the game before he came to a decision.
"I signed [the Roosters contract] with an escape clause for the first month, so I will go in December and then I can decide if I want to stay or come back to South Africa," he says.
His father, Charl, is a former fullback for Transvaal and now a skills and conditioning coach with the Golden Lions Rugby Union. He developed what is known as the F.R.A.T (Functional Resistant and Assistant Training) program, which JP has been training under since the age of eight.
The Western Province Craven Week star has since been offered a contract with the Golden Lions for next year, and his father's involvement with the Union may yet play a big part in his choice.
"Definitely that is a reason I may go there [to the Lions]. To be closer to my family and to be part of my dad's system.
"I can't decide right now. I still need to see what advantages my Australian contract has."
The proposed League move came as a shock to all those involved in South African Schoolboy rugby, not least his coach at Paul Roos, Frans van Niekerk.
"I saw scouts at St. John's, but I never took it seriously," van Niekerk admits, "But then I got a call from Australia wanting to know about his attributes."
Van Niekerk believes that Sevens rugby would be the best showcase for JP's immense individual ability, but he admits that playing League 'won't do him any harm.'
"Rugby League is a very quick game, which will suit him as he is a very good decision maker and his reaction time is very short," says Van Niekerk.
"It's also a very physical game and will give him the chance to hone his physical skills, which will stand him in good stead for 15-man code."
Du Plessis, who was invited by Paul Treu to join in with the South African Sevens team's fitness and conditioning tests in September, is open to the idea of expanding his skills set, and more importantly, his life experience in the Australian League game.
"It's an opportunity to try something new," he says, "They [The Roosters] saw me play and wouldn't have chosen me if they thought I wouldn't fit in [to League].
"I been given this opportunity and I'm not just going to be single-minded. I want to experience the world and see other things so I want to give it a try.
"If I don't like it I'll come back."
After being chosen for the South African Schools team after winning the Craven Week with Western Province, he was surprisingly omitted from the South African Under-18 Elite Squad.
That decision was confirmed to be a direct result of the Australian move, but his progress is being closely monitored by Herman Masimla, the Manager of High Performance at SA Rugby.
The intense interest in du Plessis is unheard of for a schoolboy player, which poses the question - is he really that good?
Yes, according to van Niekerk, who has coached at one of South Africa's leading rugby breeding grounds for the past 21 years.
"He's good," the PRG mentor assured rugby365, rattling off a seemingly endless array of attributes.
"He is explosive, he's strong, steps well off both his left and right foot," van Niekerk says, "He's a balanced runner. He's above-average speed and he's aggressive.
"He is such a talent that I belive he will eventually play very high up. All the exposure he can get now will just make him a better player."
And before South African rugby fans begin to lament the loss of another future star, they can rest assured that his commitment to his home country cannot be questioned.
"If I go to Australia I don't want to close doors here," the SA Schools star says, "I've always dreamt of playing for the Springboks."
So no Wallaby jersey in his future then? "No, no," he says with a chuckle, "My heart is green."
The future of JP du Plessis may be uncertain, but whether he chooses League, Sevens or Union as his preferred path, he is destined to make a big impact on the rugby world.
By Tim Human
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