There is an old adage in sport (particularly boxing) that a “good big guy will always beat a good small guy”. You could translate this across to rugby, where the physiques of the modern day players have changed dramatically and are now all about huge, muscle-bound monsters.
This is especially so in the forwards where the emphasis is clearly placed on size and strength and anyone lighter than 100 kilos is considered “small”. Coaches, and Jake White is certainly one who springs to mind, tend to favour the bigger, bulkier players when it comes to selection. Sure, there is still place in some teams for the shorter, smaller “fetchers” or pilferers who rely on their speed to the breakdown and low centre of gravity to effect vital turnovers, but even these are not as prominent as they were a few years back.
Step forward Keegan Daniel, a player considered “small” in today’s game but one who consistently punches above his weight and is so vital to the whole Sharks game plan. Keegan Daniel is making a mockery of coaches and critics who believe he is too lightweight. Tough as teak, with phenomenal ball skills and perfect anticipation, Keegan is the Sharks true playmaker, the ultimate linkman between forwards and backs.
Totally dedicated to his profession and super fit, Keegan is a fans’ favourite because of his heart and never say die attitude. Plum certainly recognises these values and the switch to 8th man is a positive move which accentuates his explosiveness and ability. Making him skipper is recognition of what a vital cog he is as well as the example he provides to the younger guys coming through. If Keegan continues to perform at his current level, PDV and the Bok selectors won’t be able to ignore this talent for much longer.
Give me this “small guy” over most of the bigger brutes any day!!
Yep. Keegan is something special. Fast, zippy, good defender, reads the game very well. He’s brilliant. It sucks that everybody is ok with Aplon in the bok set up, but then say Daniel is too small?
Yes, one is a wing/full back and the other is a loosie, but these days all the back threes look like loosies anyways.
Keegan is my 1st choice everytime. When playing at 8 he is even better.
This article will make Culling Song so happy……Luckily for Keegan he’s married already!
@Pokkel (Comment 3) :
Keegs is a decent player when he is selected at 8. It’s when people say he should play at 6 that does my head in…
@wpw (Comment 4) : I agree he is better at 8. I still think if the right people made the right decisions when they were young the likes of Keegan, Kanko and even Spies should have been backline players. We have so many talented loosies in SA but a hell of a shortage of especially centres in SA.
Imagine if the boks had Deysel at 7, Russow at 6 and Daniel at 8 this weekend, would have been exciting to watch what that trio could do. Since u basically have a big carrier (semi fetcher) at7, a good enforcer at 6 and an explosive 8.
@wpw (Comment 4) : Keegan is still a fair bit better at 6 than many other local players, including the Bok incumbent… *cough*.
Let’s just say, I’d rather have Keegan at 6 than not in the team at all.
When Hoff comes back, I reckon we’ll see Keegs back at 6 anyway.
@G West (Comment 6) : rossouw cannot play 6
you would be better off 8 rossouw 7 deysel and daniel 6
or daniel 8 russouw 7 and deysel 6
As good as Keegan is, he’s not with the Boks… we can hypothesise the loose trio for next year maybe, but then I doubt Rossouw will be in it.
@molly (Comment 9) : I’ll take the effort out for you guys:
6. Jean Deysel
7. Willem Alberts
8. Keegan Daniel
is that about right?
@molly (Comment 10) : oh and Kanko on the bench.
@molly (Comment 11) : you know us too well
I think there is no doubt that Keegan is a very good Super rugby and Currie Cup player. The question is can he make the step up to international rugby. There are some guys that have done less on the domestic front and have been given longer to prove themselves at international level. A good selection as Sharks captain and lets hope his style of play rubs off on the others.
@SheldonK (Comment 13) : we will never know as he is not being given a chance
a few min as a sub does not constitute as being a chance
@robdylan (Comment 12) : seriously now, would you pick Kanko ahead of Daniel for the Sharks, in the CC and SR? If all your boys were fit and available, who would your loose trio be?
@molly (Comment 15) : yes we would
daniel would move to 6
Keegan is one of those loosies I would class as a ‘hybrid’ loose-forward.
Their value is unfortunately dependent on game plans and strategies in which they are used in multiple roles.
The argument that will always come up between a hybrid and specialist loosie is whether a hybrid, although skilled in all areas of loose-forward play for 6, 7 and 8, is a better 6, 7, or 8 than a specialist in that position.
Keegan can play fetcher, be used as a ball carrier, and a link player – but is he the best in each of those areas (when considering call-up’s to national teams).
In my view, it is exactly what works against Francois Louw too.
These players are valuable in Currie Cup and Super Rugby where depth is always a problem, but when you have a country of rugby players to choose from at national level, the conditions of selection changes.
@molly (Comment 15) : Mine would be 6 Daniel 7 Alberts and 8 Kanko. Deysel playing off the bench.
@Pokkel (Comment 3) : Easy there tiger! Just because I have a Keegan tattoo and want him to bear my children is not to say that I’m obsessed or anything!
My personal opinion is that Keegan is good at 6 but great at 8, where his playmaker abilities are more fully utilised. Regardless, he’s one of the first names I’d write down in my team sheet, even if it meant I’d have to give him a run at wing!
@Pokkel (Comment 3) : He is a CHICK???
@Ice (Comment 20) : who ? keegan ?
@rekinek (Comment 21) : Culling Song!!
@rekinek (Comment 21) : Keegan is K-Dawgg!!
@Ice (Comment 20) :
Confused now 
@Pokkel (Comment 24) : I completely misread your comment 3! LOLOLOL
But CS’s post might suggest he is a chick afterall!
@robdylan (Comment 7) : Stegmann trumps Keegan 6 – love as out and out opensider! Steggies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AshleyJ also trumps Keegan in terms of gailnline proficiency and is equally adept at mixing it with the backs…so Keegs must enjoy “dominating” the CC
@Ice (Comment 25) : Read again, I said I want *Keegan* to bear *my* children. ‘fraid Keegan will have to be the chick in the relationship
@Megatron (Comment 26) : let’s see… who played 6 for the Sharks at Loftus in the Super 15? Oh that’s right… it was Keegan.
And who played 6 for the Bulls? Stegmann, that’s it…
Remember what happened in that game? Sharks stuffed the Bulls? Keegan completely overshadowed the guy who’s supposed to be so much better than him? You betcha sweet ass…
@Megatron (Comment 26) : go watch the tape of Cheetahs v Lion in the 2nd round… see Ashley’s skills at the back of a retreating scrum, then tell me he’s a better number 8 than Keegan.
@Culling Song (Comment 27) : OHHHHHH…Phew!!!!
@robdylan (Comment 29) :
You guys still use VCR’s on Mud Island?
@Pokkel (Comment 31) : Nope – they do however still use it in the Eastern Cape!
@Megatron (Comment 26) : Whaahaaaahhaaaahahaaaahaha… Thanks, I needed some comic relief today
@Culling Song (Comment 33) :
So have you considered your offer for the Snow Phoenix yet?
@robdylan (Comment 29) : you are such a genius, which no8 will be at his be playing behing a “RETREATING SCRUM”? remember Kankowski in the Twickenham game trying to pick up a ball while a pile of squashed lard was falling all over him?
remember AshleyJ against the Crusaders in Bloem shutting down anything that moves and linking superbly with to create Sias’ try?
@Ice (Comment 32) : nee skat ons PVR gebruik, dankie bokkie
@Megatron (Comment 36) : jislaaikit!! PE is stepping up, ne??
@Pokkel (Comment 34) : Just need one taster for my better half – name your price
@Ice (Comment 32) : Skerp.
@Ice (Comment 37) : next year we hear they have HD
@Culling Song (Comment 27) : yip, only a man can have such twisted wishes
Has anyone noticed that Keegan has actually bulked up quite a bit this season? And it hasn’t impacted on his speed or his skills.
@Villie (Comment 42) : yes it has affected his speed villie, hence he is employed more as a ball carrier than a out & out fetcher like stegmann, we all know it is far much more ardous running from ruck to ruck, pilfering and slowing down oppo ball & securing your own team’s ball than standing back waiting to receive ball so one can run into space…which is what keegan does.
@rekinek (Comment 40) : we been having that too, this is PE not Brakpan!
@Megatron (Comment 43) : Interest point.
I recently did a comparison between 2 very different Golden Lions gr.11 schoolboy flanks who have both done extremely well for themselves this season and they fit the Steggies vs Keegs profiles in a way.
It really boils down to what the team needs more and who is more effective at their job to draw a true comparison because even tho they may don on the same jersey no. their play is so different.
@beet (Comment 45) : agreed, but you can’t have the likes of robdylan exhalting the one and disparaging the other, when steggies is doing a great job at the bulls considering he has to do extra because spies hardly ever does anything on the deck – steggies only gets help when chiliboy is in the mix like we saw at kings park earlier this year where chili was all over bissy.
it’s fine to say keegan is playing to team instructions but then when alberts comes on and he is the primary carrier, then the load to slow oppo ball is left to either deysel/bissy.
steggies trumps keegs if one looks at the way the BOKS want to play! danie & ashley can carry the ball with aplomb and steggies can dig and pilfer, they don’t need a third ball carrier when they have pocock to deal with.
@Megatron (Comment 46) : Dude, you are either wildly optimistic or wildly delusional if you expect the majority of us here to be objective or unbiased in our thinking re: Stegmann. Ditto for Kuun. Fair or not, that’s the lay of the land
@Megatron (Comment 44) : don’t mention this name. We don’t cross there
@Culling Song (Comment 47) : kuun is rubbish, keegs can trump kuun with his eyes close, no problemo.
no delusions about all your inherent bias, just enjoy blowing holes in your weak theories though
@Megatron (Comment 49) : Again, this is a (mostly rabid) Sharks supporters site. We would probably argue that John Smit is a better fetcher than Stegmann. So if you enjoy blowing holes in our delusions, more power to you, but don’t expect us to be swayed by your arguments…
@Culling Song (Comment 50) : love it
@Culling Song (Comment 50) : clearly this is your first sort of encounter with me, at first i was a troll, then everyone was instructed to ignore me and 4 stars later i’m still here. the point is not to change or sway your rabid opinions it’s enough for me just to banter & see muppets like robdylan scurry away when they can’t counter my comments with any facts
@Megatron (Comment 52) : I would rather have keegan in my team or Luke Watson before steggies.
@Honey Badger (Comment 53) : substantiate…
@Megatron (Comment 54) : Let me be please
@Ice (Comment 25) : Maybe he just wants to make Keegan his Biatch