Sharks winger S’bu Nkosi is one of the brightest young prospects on the South African rugby horizon, writes CRAIG LEWIS.
Earlier this year, Nkosi was the surprise inclusion in the Sharks’ Super Rugby squad, but for those who know the youngster well, there was nothing surprising about the manner in which he enjoyed a standout debut against the Force in early May.
Nkosi has always just had that something special about him. During his high school days at Jeppe Boys’ in Johannesburg, Nkosi went by the nickname ‘Lomu’ as a result of his size and strength.
After making the move to Durban, Nkosi went on to impress for the Junior Boks at the 2016 World Rugby U20 Championship, and his work-rate and impact during the Sharks’ pre-season saw him quickly elevated into the Super Rugby reckoning.
In the end, the 21-year-old completed as many as 491 minutes of game time in his debut season this year, with the youngster immediately catching the eye with his raw pace and power.
According to his Sharks profile, Nkosi stands just 1.82m tall, but weighs in at a sizeable 97kg. He has considerably more bulk and brawn than the average South African winger, and his natural strengths are cause for excitement.
Nkosi boasts immense pace for such a burly winger – just this past Saturday he gave Blitzboks flyer Seabelo Senatla a run for his money – but it’s also his defence that is particularly noteworthy.
According to the AllOutRugby statistics, Nkosi boasted a 94% tackle success completion in Super Rugby, while it sits at a healthy 89% so far this Currie Cup season, where he is also ranked first for clean breaks (12).
It’s still early days for Nkosi, who will be looking to continue honing his aerial skills and kicking game, but there is no doubt that he has all the raw ingredients to make it to the highest level.
Should Nkosi continue to power his way past defenders as if they’re mere bystanders, he could well be a bolter for the Boks’ end-of-year-tour, although another Super Rugby season would surely serve him well before we make any final judgements about his aptitude for Test rugby.
Lest we forget, star Lions winger Ruan Combrinck is still fighting for a way back into the Bok squad, but either way, the competition suddenly being created on the wing can only be seen as a good thing.
At times over the past couple of seasons, the Boks have missed the size and strength of a player such as former winger JP Pietersen, but Nkosi does appear to be an heir-in-waiting.
The rising star is well known for his impressive work and determination for constant self-improvement, which all bodes well for his progression as a player.
During his school days, Nkosi is interestingly said to have spent plenty time training intensively with talented loose forward Hacjivah Dayimani, who is now making a name for himself at the Lions.
To digress for a moment, Dayimani made an immense impact for the Golden Lions in this past Saturday’s Currie Cup clash against the Free State Cheetahs, and certainly looks to be another prodigiously talented player worth keeping a very close eye on.
What can never be in question is South Africa’s enduring ability to constantly produce talented, skillful young players, and Nkosi is one of those leading the way for the ‘next generation’ stars.
Photo: Gerhard Duraan/BackpagePix
