Former Wallabies scrumhalf Will Genia believes Cam Roigard has the star quality of a Springbok great.
Speaking on the I Love Rugby podcast with hosts George Gregan and John Smit, Genia said Roigard had mastered the modern scrumhalf’s role as a playmaker, drawing comparisons with former Bok 9 Fourie du Preez.
“Roigard has been phenomenal,” he said. “I would talk about the great man [Du Preez] and George yourself; you guys sit in a category of your own among halfbacks. I watched a lot of Du Preez because he could control the game, all aspects of it essentially from halfback, and make great decisions similar to yourself.”
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Genia, the seventh most-capped Wallaby of all time, believes the scrumhalf’s influence has grown as rugby has evolved into a more power-based game.
While flyhalves remain key decision-makers, he argued that No 9s have become increasingly important as playmakers because of their involvement in the game and their role in managing attacking tempo and kicking strategies.
“If you can get a nine that can run and understand when to slow the game down, speed it up, take one step out, take two steps out, go forward, play a bit of an arc, play the outside, run, play short, it just makes such a difference to your game, play both sides of the ruck,” he said.
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Genia believes Roigard’s running threat forces defences to commit, creating more space for the All Blacks’ other attacking threats. He reserved particular praise for the scrumhalf’s game management, identifying it as a crucial skill for any player hoping to reach the top of the game.
“One of the really important skills for halves, if you want to be great at that level, is you’ve got to be able to understand and manage the tempo of the game when it speeds up, keep the momentum going, keep the tempo going when you need to slow it down and manage it,” he said.
“Roigard has mastered that because he’s also an incredible kicker of the ball.”
Photo: Paul Gilham/Getty Images
The post Genia compares Roigard to Bok legend appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Former Wallabies scrumhalf Will Genia believes Cam Roigard has the star quality of a Springbok great.
The post Genia compares Roigard to Bok legend appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
