Comment by Rowan Callaghan
Burly young centre Jurenzo Julius’ stunning cameo for the Sharks against Toulouse in Durban last Saturday suggested that “The Boogie Man” is going to give a lot more opponents nightmares, and that coach John Plumtree should let him off his leash more often.
The 20-year-old former Junior Springbok star sparked the Sharks, and the crowd, into life as he set up and scored their opening try in a style reminiscent of his playing days at Paul Roos Gymnasium and the junior national team, after coming on in the 58th minute of their Champions Cup clash at Kings Park.
He hurdled and side-stepped players, offloaded the ball to perfection to create the line-break that led to the try (rounded off with a neat side-step of Blair Kinghorn) and evaded tackles in an electric display in the 20-8 defeat.
It wasn’t his only contribution to the game, with his energy and all-round play shaking the home team from their slumber in the oppressive heat and humidity of Kings Park on a typically balmy Durban evening, where Toulouse looked more at home than the error-prone Sharks.
“’Cause in a sky, ’cause in a sky full of stars, I think I see you,” the Kings Park crowd would croon.
It could have been directed at ‘The Boogie Man’, whose reputation is also built on bone-crunching tackles and ability to evade them that is almost peerless even at this early stage of his career.
Sharks coach John Plumtree also sees the scary potential for greatness in a player who scored two tries for the Durban outfit against the Lions on his Currie Cup debut, and another in the United Rugby Championship that helped secure a vital victory over the Dragons.
But Plumtree has tempered praise of the centre, who can also play on the wing, with the warning that he could still improve on tactical parts of his game, urging him to learn from the likes of Bok stalwart and fellow centre Lukhanyo Am in the Sharks team.
The Durban side face a daunting trip to French Top 14 leaders Bordeaux this weekend in their next Champions Cup match on Sunday (3pm kick-off), where few give them a chance of winning.
Our 28- man touring squad for the #InvestecChampionsCup and @vodacom #URC matches 🦈
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While Plumtree could again choose to begin with Ethan Hooker, another prodigious young talent, at No 12, and bring Julius on to run the tiring opposition ragged, like he did on Saturday, the youngster may be worth a punt for a start.
After all, he proved fearless against Toulouse in a losing cause, and his game-breaking ability and electrifying play could be the stuff of more French nightmares. | Independent Media Sport