Cotzee vs Kolisi

There has been a lot of talk concerning the no. 6 jersey for the Springboks. A lot of people wanted to see Heinrich Brussow back in the mix with his prolific ability to be a fetcher and the current lack of one. Going up against the likes of David Pocock and Richie Mckaw it would be beneficial to have a decent fetcher. With Bizmark playing the way he is it seems that he will fulfill that role quite well. That still leaves the question of who to put in the no. 6 jersey. With Schalk Burger out for what seems like the rest of the year they will need someone to fill his big shoes.

Marcell Coetzee has been playing in that position when the Springboks took on the English on June. He performed well in the 3 tests and many would pick him to continue in the Championship. As is tradition in Springbok rugby, once someone is playing in a certain position for a period of time nobody else would be considered unless in the case of injury. As I’ve said time and time again, the player who is in the best form should play, that’s how the All Blacks and Australia pick their teams and it seems to be working for them. Don’t get me wrong, Coetzee is a good player and deserves a spot in the squad but I don’t believe he should be in the starting lineup. I believe the best way to decide who the better player is, is to watch when they compete against each other for their respective provinces. Usually one player will dominate the other and this is a good way to gauge who is in better form. No man does this better than Siya Kolisi, who has been filling in for Burger at the Stormers. He came in during the first game after Burger left with injury and has impressed in every game thus far. Every tackle he makes sends his opponents backwards, regardless of their size or reputation.

He may not be the biggest player standing at 1.87m and 101kg but when you see him tackle it makes no difference. Coetzee isn’t much bigger at 1.91 and 106kg and also a physical player who relishes the tackles. Both players are similar in style and stature but in my opinion Kolisi stands head and shoulders above him in terms of heart and his defensive skills. The way he plays is different to most players, he seems to be playing purely for the love of the game and not seeing it as a job and for that reason I say he is the best no. 6 in South Africa at the moment.

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