Star Sharks junior flyhalf Innocent Radebe will not be available for selection for the Junior Springbok side this year, having suffered a foot fracture in training.
Radebe, who played a starring role in the UKZN Impi Varsity Shield campaign – including a man of the match performance in the final – showcased his skills to a grater audience last week when he started at flyhalf for the Varsity Cup Dream Team against Dawie Theron’s shadow SA under 20 side. Despite the Dream Team losing the match, most pundits declared Radebe the best pivot on show that day and he must surely have been in with a proper shot of being Theron’s starting flyhalf for the upcoming Junior Rugby Championship.
The fracture, though, will keep the 20-year-old out of action for around the next 8 weeks, meaning a return in time for the Currie Cup.
We’d like to send Inny our condolences and wish him all the best for his recovery.
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Huge blow for the Baby Boks
What a blow for the Baby Boks and for Inno Radebe himself!! ! My heart goes out to him!
Tough luck Inny. Get well soon!
Speedy recovery Inny!
Based on the bits I’ve seen, I’m starting to think that Inny is the natural successor/alternative to Pat Lambie.
And for the record, I’m not advocating his immediate elevation to Super Rugby; just long term investment and mentoring (assuming, of course, that it’s within our existing coaching/management staff’s abilities – a point on which the jury’s still out)
@Culling Song (Comment 5) : Agreed, I’d like to see a similar approach taken to Lambie’s introduction to Super Rugby. Allow him to spend some time at fullback or inside center next to Lambie. He’s not the biggest player but neither is Lambie. Not this season of course but when the time is right.
Damn, that is a blow to both Radebe and the baby Boks. Hope he recovers quickly.
@Culling Song (Comment 5) : I agree fully! I’m not all that clued up with how the younger guys are managed especially when they show promise but I hope he gets the support and guidance he needs. Perhaps he might even get a shot at CC behind Fred if all goes well. But I certainly will give him at least one more season before exposing him to Super Rugby.
Just out of interest, how many other promising “young” players are currently in the Sharks ranks that has shown similar promise? Does the future at least look bright compared to the very “dark” present? 🙄
Hard luck on the guy. Would def like to see him on a CC bench tho
@Farlington (Comment 7) : I think we have a few.
here’s my attempt at a “top 10” young players in the Sharks setup
1 Inny Radebe (flyhalf)
2 Daniel du Plessis (number 8)
3 Jean-Luc du Plessis (blindside flank)
4 Marius Louw (inside centre)
5 Hyron Andrews (5 lock)
6 Ruan Kramer (tighthead prop)
7 Chris de Beer (hooker)
8 Johan du Toit (4-lock or blindside flank)
9 Barend Potgieter (loosehead prop)
10 Marcel Coetzee (outside centre or wing)
@robdylan (Comment 9) : and by “young”, I mean age-group players.
I’ve excluded Thomas because he’s already well established.
@robdylan (Comment 10) : I seem to recall some kid being touted some time ago as the next André Joubert? What happened to him?
@Culling Song (Comment 11) : ah yes. I wanted to add him to the list but ran out of space and since he hasn’t really played yet (just one half of an under 19 game) thought I’d leave him to “bubble under”.
The name is Morne Joubert and I believe he’s rather special.
A new Andre Joubert, then it would only be right that he spends an apprenticeship with the man himself, starting as a gillie.
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 13) : is fishing the new mountain biking?
Wouldn’t it be nice if guys like Joubert, Cullen and Latham can come spend some time with our outside backs. They could learn a lot from them.
@robdylan (Comment 10) : You can probably add Thomas Du Toit, Cameron Wright, Stephan Ungerer, Stephan Lewies, PSDT in terms of guys that should be rotated ina nd out of CC team via the bench etc in order to guage ability
@SheldonK (Comment 16) : all of those okes are established. I’m talking about age group players
@Salmonoid the Subtle (Comment 13) : Mountain biking pffft, rather spend the money on a boat. Juba has always enjoyed his fishing. Do you remeber Wally Watt from the early 80’s, now that guy loved his fishing.
@robdylan (Comment 17) : Yeh i know…i was just adding to your list with established guys that are 21/22 and younger.
@robdylan (Comment 10) : Thanks… I also meant age group players rather than those who may have already represented the senior side. I will try and make a point to watch some of these guys and hope that the Sharks has a proper vision for these future Sharks. Hopefully we won’t lose to many in the coming years but I suppose that is also the nature of the modern game.
@Farlington (Comment 20) : are you anywhere near Maritzburg?
@robdylan (Comment 9) : You mentioned Barend Potgieter was a recycled flank? Great to see him doing so well at loosehead!
@vanmartin (Comment 22) : he only switched to prop last year
@robdylan (Comment 23) : this was the last time he played flank:
http://www.sharksworld.co.za/2014/08/14/andre-esterhuizen-moved-to-flank/
Alongside another player who isn’t playing there any more 🙂
@robdylan (Comment 24) : my heart bleeds for Inny but his future is bright and he will get his chance to shine.
A possible gem is his likely replacement in Junior bokkies group,Ernst Stapelberg. Okay, I am little biased as I know kid. He is sitting probably behind Cat, Coleman, Rob Du Preez and JL Du Plessis (hear he only has a 1 year contract) in the pecking order at WP. At u20 he boots from 60m over with no issue – saw him win a game for EP u18 with a 60m dop goal in last seconds. He could be re-treaded into superb 15. Sharks age groups a bit lacking there and he most likely will not feature much at WP with Kolbe and the Janssens kid in the system at 15.
@Kabouter (Comment 25) : make it happen! All I’m saying 🙂
@robdylan (Comment 26) : actually chatted to his dad last night about it… he was thinking in line of Cheetahs unfortunately and hoping for RDP to probably join his dad in the north west. I am hoping Ernst has another blinder of a age CC so that he gets forced to decide on future as I don’t see the WP opportunity happening.
Maybe we should get him to visit the good doctor in the Strand 😉
@robdylan (Comment 24) : That link just reminded me of something else. What happened to Cope, why aren’t we calling on him for the Vodacom Cup?
@Kabouter (Comment 27) : Robert is hopefully going to get gatvol at WP soon enough, but I doubt he’ll join his dad.
Robert senior is old school and I don’t think he’d want to coach any of his sons directly. He’s see that as giving them an unfair advantage. He intends for them to succeed on their own talents, rather than his name.
@vanmartin (Comment 28) : Cope apparently has a hand injury. Perhaps more significant is that he’s signed to play for Jersey.
Yes, that’s right. Jersey.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/32411523
Hope these youngsters have a lot of patience.
@robdylan (Comment 30) : What a pity.
I’ve never heard of Jersey by the way, I had to go Google it 😀
@vanmartin (Comment 33) : it’s one of the Channel Islands.