FEATURE Ireland and South Africa share the same player development dilemma

Take a moment, and ask Reece Hodge about the virtues of versatility. The Australian has won a substantial 63 caps for his country over an international career spanning eight years, but they have been at six different positions in the backline – in fact, everywhere but scrum-half. Ask Hodge, and he will tell you versatility is as much a curse as it is a blessing.

Ireland and South Africa may approach the business of playing rugby from opposite ends of the philosophical spectrum, but one dilemma they will have in common over the coming months is the vexed question of how and where to fit a bunch of multi-faceted players into a cohesive backline. There may be talent to burn, but neither nation will want to see it go up in smoke.

For Rassie Erasmus’ Springboks, the debate will focus around two key playmakers, both listed as number 10s at the Stormers franchise: Damian Willemse, and the latest silky-skilled wizard off the Cape production line, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

The problem for the pair is the eternal curse of versatility. Where do their unique talents fit into the Springboks grand plan for the future, and will they get enough game-time at a franchise which already boasts another Bok 10 in Manie Libbok?

Let’s take the case of Willemse, currently ruled out of the international picture by injury. He started five of South Africa’s six World Cup games at full-back, including the historic final victory over New Zealand; but at the Stormers, eight of his 12 starts were at 12. In the previous season [2022-23] he started six games for the Bokke at 10, but 11 of 16 of his run-on appearances for the Stormers came at full-back.

That merry-go-round suggests there is more than a little confusion about his best position for the national team. The comments surrounding Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s rapid rise to the top indicate his role is also yet to be clarified. His provincial coach John Dobson opined “he has the ability to become a world-class fly-half, and we want to equip him with everything he needs to do just that.” His view seemed to be supported by Springbok great Victor Matfield:

“I think he can take the ball to the line and he’s got a big kicking game. As a schoolboy his goal-kicking was outstanding.

“I would like to see the Stormers throw the ball to him and let him take over the kicking, even if he plays number 12. Let Manie [Libbok] just play and then he [Feinberg-Mngomezulu] works himself into that number 10 jersey.

“At junior levels, he was just in a different class. We haven’t seen him in that number 10 jersey at senior level a lot – we’ve seen him [only] once or twice.

“I love Manie and he’s got such good qualities, but there is a lot of talk about whether Manie will make that step up. He’s had a few opportunities.

“I like Manie and he is great, but I would like to see us give Sacha more opportunities.”

🗣️ “I asked for that ball from Pieter-Steph and he said ‘slaan hom!'”

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu on his impressive penalty kick against Wales this weekend 🦵 pic.twitter.com/XPG87QOamf

— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) June 27, 2024

If that is an endorsement it is hardly ringing with bell-like clarity, and the balance between Manie and Sacha – not to mention a returning Damian – is anything but obvious moving forward. Feinberg-Mngomezulu made everyone sit up and take notice as a third minute replacement for full-back Willie le Roux in the second Test in Durban. Naturally he will be on the pine again, with Libbok directing operations against Portugal this weekend.

Ex-Scotland coach Matt Williams phrased the underlying issue far more transparently in the Virgin Media Sport podcast at the end of the King’s Park match: “Sometimes you get these talented players in the backs who can play multiple positions, and they end up not specialising in any of them.”

When Feinberg-Mngomezulu made his key interventions against Ireland, they were very much out of the mould of a counter-attacking full-back, or play-making second receiver.

Those brief clips are enough to illustrate there is ample strength in contact, elusive feet and a heads-up, two-hands-on-the-ball outlook which preserves the triple threat of run, kick or pass. But how will South Africa ever find out if he is a better game-manager than Libbok or Willemse if the pieces of the puzzle are to be shuffled around the board forevermore? Are any of the trio trusted to take over the direction of backline strategy from Handre Pollard and Le Roux?

There are similar questions for Ireland hovering over the futures of Jamie Osborne and Ciaran Frawley at both club/provincial level, and in the national side. Over the past two seasons, Frawley has started 11 games at full-back, three at 12, two at 10 and one at 13 for Leinster; in the season prior to that [2021-22] he started the bulk of his matches for the Dublin province at inside centre. Like Willemse he has become the classic jack of all trades, but the constant shifts of selection policy are granting him mastery of none.

In the final stages at King’s Park, ex-Leinster and Ireland wing Luke Fitzgerald was clearly living through the contradictions of the player Frawley has become on The Left Wing podcast:

“I look at the time he [Frawley] was on the pitch in its totality… my first thought was ‘God, that game management was pretty poor’.

“He doesn’t execute the cross-field kick. He’s not strong enough to say, ‘take the penalty’. They go to the corner and then end up taking the drop-goal with less time on the clock.

“He plays off the scrum and does the grubber, that’s not a good percentage play. My first reaction was ‘No! You gobs***e.’ That was the first reaction of [skipper Caelan] Doris too.

“The other part of me, which I think is more correct, [believes] a lot of those decisions are [made] probably because he hasn’t been given the opportunity to flourish on a weekly basis in his best position for Leinster.

“Look at it from a positive skew: the guy is trying things and he’s backing himself in the pressure moments. He believes in himself in the big moments. I think if he is given more chances and more opportunity, he can flourish in that position.

“He’s quite clearly [Leinster’s] best option at 10. This is his best position and pretty much the only position he can play great rugby at, at international level, given his physical capabilities.

“That’s a harsh reality for people to swallow. You need to be a spectacular athlete in each position and very specialised. Ten is the only place he can be a great international rugby player in my opinion. He showed that on the weekend, he needs to be playing 10, week in, week out. [He] cannot have a bit-part anymore.

“The Leinster system, of having four guys there that are very good, doesn’t allow anyone to be great. That’s their big issue.”

Is Frawley better at fly-half, or full-back, or inside centre? The truth is we have never really had the opportunity to find out. The rotation policy at Leinster only appeared to have opened a door for Frawley after Johnny Sexton’s retirement. The Byrne brothers [Ross and Harry] were still ranked ahead of him and got the lion’s share of starts at 10. Now there is pressure coming from beneath, in the shape of young Sam Prendergast, and Frawley’s game-time may be squeezed further.

There is a real danger his talent may burn out before it has ever flared, like a brilliant comet across the sky. At the end of the South Africa win, when push came to shove, Frawley demonstrated the poise under pressure you want to see in any international 10. He put his struggles firmly behind him and stayed in the moment.

Osborne started nine games at 12, six at 13 and one on the left wing for Leinster during the 2023-24 season. For the tour of the Republic, head coach Andy Farrell chose to shift him to full-back and it turned out to be an inspired choice.

With Osborne’s giant 6ft 4ins frame at 15 Ireland commanded the airwaves, and the two lethal Springbok lekkerbacks, Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse, never got a sniff of the kind of opportunity which had kept South Africa in their World Cup quarter-final against France.

Osborne was rock solid, winning all 10 of the high balls launched his way.

Kolbe and Arendse were not only unable to pressure Osborne in the air, they could not counter-ruck him on the ground afterwards, and that provided a huge fillip to the Ireland backfield defence.

Osborne’s big left boot gave relief in the kicking game, and his experience at 12 for Leinster added value as the secondary playmaker.

The problem for Osborne will be the same as it is for Frawley. At provincial level he is likely to find both Jordie Barrett and Robbie Henshaw barring his path at 12 in the coming season, while Hugo Keenan will return to action as the top full-back for both club and country. How can Osborne accrue enough game-time to progress his career as efficiently as possible?

As the top two nations in the World Rugby rankings they may be implacable enemies on the field, but Ireland and South Africa share the same dilemmas in player development. They have a raft of multi-skilled backline players and they are struggling to accommodate them all, or even identify their best specialist positions.

It is the curse of versatility: a credit for coaches moving their chess-pieces across the strategy board, a debit for players looking to build their careers as the master of one spot, rather than a jack of all trades in many. The future progress of Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Frawley may tell us a great deal about the prospects for both nations: ‘You’ve got to be known for something. The danger of extreme versatility is you do not spring to mind for anything.’