Stick coached seven rising SA A players who are now set to take on the All Blacks for the Sharks.
Former Junior Springbok Player of the Year, Jurenzo Julius is pictured in action for SA A against Zimbabwe. He is one of several rising stars the Sharks have selected to face the All Blacks. Picture: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick is eager to see several young stars in action when the Sharks play the All Blacks in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series.
The teams clash at Kings Park on Tuesday night (kick-off 7.10pm) in the second of four matches between the All Blacks and local clubs, after the visitors beat the Stormers six tries to three (score 38-21) in Cape Town on Friday.
That game was close, with the score 14-all with 13 minutes left, before a loose final 10 minutes skewed the final scoreline.
Stick said it was good to see a strong Stormers side take on the All Blacks. It was also good to see Junior Bok flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed face off against “one of the best flyhalves in the world” Beauden Barrett.
‘So mature’
Stick coached several of the Sharks’ rising stars when they featured for the SA A side that thrashed Zimbabwe 40-0 in June.
Zekhethelo Siyaya, Luan Giliomee, Emmanuel and Vincent Tshituka, Phepsi Buthelezi, Liam van Wyk and Jurenzo Julius were named in the Sharks team to face the All Blacks less than two months after that strong SA A performance, which Stick said showed the youngsters had the potential to become Springboks one day.
“One thing that I enjoy about [coach JP Pietersen] is the fact that he’s always giving youngsters an opportunity,” Stick said.
“I saw Siyaya is back [from injury]. And Vusi Moyo will be playing in that game,” Stick said of the young Springbok flyhalf.
“It’s good to see a couple of those youngsters are getting an opportunity. And I’ve worked with some of them. When I was coaching SA A, the majority of those boys are so mature.”
Rising Sharks stars next up against All Blacks
He said Giliomee, Van Wyk, Rambo Kubheka and their Junior Springbok teammates showed this when they defended their U20 World Championship title in Georgia.
“The way some of those players were performing, you could see that now the belief is there.
“The fact that they’ve rubbed shoulders in our [Springbok] conditioning camps in June, and also play the SA A with some of the big names around Test match level, the likes of Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi.”
Stick said interactions with Springbok Test centurions and experienced players went a long way in strengthening a youngster’s mental game, and building a team-first culture.
