Rosko Specman could turn out to be the missing link the Stormers have been searching for a while now.
On loan in the Mother City from the Cheetahs for the last two rounds of Rainbow Cup SA, the former Blitzbok flyer is expected to make his Stormers debut against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld tomorrow night.
And while fans have every right to expect dazzling runs from the 32-year-old, he’ll bring so much more to the party than just that.
Inside centre Rikus Pretorius summed it up well in a press conference on Tuesday when he said: “He gives you options – his communication is really good.
“He will say exactly when he wants the ball and he will tell you what to do and that’s something I really enjoy about him – he gives you options.”
So often speedsters in rugby are just that: guys who are fast and can sidestep a bit.
Sorry to say, but vision is not a given for all rugby players, you also have to have anticipation going with that to be a real threat.
Specman has the vision and anticipation of a player that can slot into any playmaking role.
And this is where I believe he will be a star for the Stormers – as a wide playmaker.
Pretorius is a big boy with good hands. He’s got decent offloading skills that will only improve if a clever player such as Specman runs off of him and whoever plays on his outside.
I’m pretty sure it will be Ruhan Nel in the No.13 jersey, making for an even more mouthwatering affair.
Nel and Specman know each other well from their days in the Springbok Sevens camp.
The guys over at the High Performance Centre have also trained with Damian Willemse at flyhalf this week.
According to assistant coach Labeeb Levy, this is only in case of emergency.
But with Specman in the squad – and he is a player I’d even try at fullback – you can have a back three of him, Sergeal Petersen and Edwill van der Merwe while Willemse runs the show at flyhalf.
Add Jantjies at No.9 and the two centres and you’ve got a backline that might just go to Loftus Versfeld and run the Bulls dronk.
It’s amazing what one player – the right type of player – can do to the balance of a team.
Anyway, it’d be nice if Specman scored a try or two, but what I’ll be looking out for tomorrow night is how the options he gives the guys on the inside will open up their game.
dudley.carstens@inl.co.za