With the new Super Rugby season headed our way soon, the excitement is palpable.
There will be a lot of talent on show this year, and we have picked out five players to keep an eye on this season. These guys could set the competition alight.
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Akira Ioane
If his devastating performances on the world sevens circuit were anything to go by then we are in for a treat this year. Simply put, he has been running riot (along with his younger brother Reiko) and scoring try after try.
Having already been touted as an All Black in the making, we expect big things from this young powerhouse and can’t wait to soo him rampaging around the field.
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Santiago Cordero
The Argentine winger put in some dazzling performances in last year’s World Cup. His elusive running and wonderful finishing ability were a joy to watch and he is a player that can bring a crowd to its feet.
It will be interesting to see if he is capable of producing such performances week in and week out and also against quality opposition like Nadolo, Savea, Naholo and Milner-Skudder. Whatever the case, let’s just hope he gets ball in hand and a little bit of space to showcase his talent.
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Rene Ranger
Rene Ranger’s return is a very welcome one indeed. When he left for France he had just forced his way into the All Blacks and it was sad to see him go. He had to watch from the sidelines as the All Blacks built up to and won the World Cup and no doubt he will be desperate to get back in that All Blacks environment and make the number 13 jersey his own.
Strong, powerful, full of running and with a wonderful array of skills in his arsenal, Ranger is sure to provide some great entertainment.
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Inny-Christian Radebe
This extremely talented young flyhalf is the best kept secret in South African rugby. He is a live-wire, all action fly-half with a skill level far beyond his years. He was very unfortunate not to represent SA U-20 last year due to injury but he has shown bags of potential and will hopefully get an opportunity to step on the field and show what he can do.
He has carved out some stellar performances for the Sharks underage sides over the last couple of years and with the long-term injury that Pat Lambie has sustained we could see a lot of him him this season, provided he stays fit. Although he is only 20, we can expect some big things from this young man.
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Seta Tamanivalu
We have seen glimpses of what Tamanivalu can do and he really has potential to run riot in this year’s competition. Injury has plagued him but hopefully he can stay fit and really mount a serious challenge for an All Black jersey.
With power and pace in abundance, we can expect him to really come into his own this year. He has some extensive experience with Taranaki so we hope he can carry on the level of performance he had in the ITM Cup and reproduce it at this level. The fact that he is on Steve Hansen’s radar sould be an added incentive.
Gavin Nyawata, Pundit Arena
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