Nick Mallett says lock Salmaan Moerat does a lot of dirty work and brings balance to Rassie Erasmus’ Springbok pack.
Moerat will make his first appearance in the green and gold this year when he starts in the No 4 jersey against Italy in Turin on Saturday.
The 28-year-old has played just 94 minutes for La Rochelle since joining the French Top 14 club from the Stormers last season, while his Springbok performances have attracted plenty of criticism from South African rugby fans on social media.
However, Mallett believes Moerat’s contribution is often underestimated.
“Rassie has got a very clear idea of who his No 5 lock – the middle of the lineout [jumper] and caller – is and who is his Bakkies Botha, his [Eben] Etzebeth, his hitter of rucks and cleaner of rucks, big tackler,” the former Bok coach said on the Talking Boks podcast.
“Salmaan Moerat definitely falls into that second category, the Bakkies Botha one. I know people say they don’t see a hell of a lot of him on the field, but the reason for that is he does a tremendous amount of the dirty work – the maul setting up, the defensive efforts against a maul.
“His tackle stats are always extremely high, and his ruck cleaning is always vicious. I mean it’s vigorous, so much so that he has been concussed many times.
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“He is a guy who is extremely physical and sometimes his body lets him down because he hasn’t got that extra 10, 15kg that a guy like Cobus Wiese, Bakkies Botha or Etzebeth has.
“He is an athletic lock, but he plays like they do. Rassie wants to give him another opportunity and it balances his pack nicely.
“He is the type of front of the lineout lock that works well with a guy like [Ruan] Nortjé, so whether he carries on after this tour will depend a lot on his physical capabilities.”
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Mallett also praised Moerat’s character and leadership.
“I’ve spent quite a bit of time with this guy. He is absolutely a wonderful human being; he is a brilliant captain, a guy who the players look up to.”
Photo: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images
The post Mallett: Moerat in Bakkies category appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Nick Mallett says lock Salmaan Moerat does a lot of dirty work and brings balance to Rassie Erasmus’ Springbok pack.
The post Mallett: Moerat in Bakkies category appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
