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The decision to drop Brache from the Stormers squad is a bit more surprising. He appears to have been caught in a numbers game as the Stormers brought in a couple of younger centers and with Brache having only one Super Rugby appearance to his name and being older than the other players, it seems he was on the outside looking in. Brache's only appearance for the Stormers came last season. He has been an active part of the Western Province Vodacom and Currie Cup teams over the past few seasons. Last fall he scored three tries in 11 matches for Western Province as they won the competition. Prior to joining Western Province Brache played for the University of Cape Town alongside Eagles J.J. Gagiano (UCT is the current home of Derek Asbun).
Both players could land with Vodacom Cup teams for the upcoming season, which starts in March and ends in May. Another option, if a U.S. team is willing to reach out and Brache and Mabeta are willing, is to play in the U.S. during the Elite Cup season. Both are at critical ages in their careers where they are considered too old to be an investment by Super Rugby teams but still are young enough to have top class rugby in them. That means they could be ready to work toward a U.S. call-up. The U.S. is need of depth at both lock and center and both players would fit in well. Playing domestically in the U.S. for a season would help them become adjusted to the U.S. system and go give U.S. selectors and opportunity to view them up close.
Would be nice to have both of them, assuming Mabeta is fit, for the RWCQs this summer. I'd definitely like our chances against the Canucks with this starting 15:
ReplyDelete1 Pittman
2 Biller
3 Fry
4 Mabeta
5 Manoa
6 Stanfill
7 LaValla
8 Clever
9 Shaw
10 L'Estrange
11 Ngwenya
12 Brache
13 Emerick
14 Hume
15 Wyles
Emerick's injury is pretty severe according to the last announcement. Does anyone have an update as to whether he'll be available this spring/summer?
DeleteWith Emerick out, I'd bring Wyles in at 13 (where he plays a lot at Sarries), and then put in Pangelinan, Scully, or even Madison Hughes at fullback.
DeleteThe North America XV to play against the Lions would be a perfect match to bring them over for IMO.
ReplyDeleteI think Manoa's Eagle career is over. We might see him the summer of 2015 trying to get into the 2015 RWC team, but I don't expect him to be available in this summer or next. Club over country pays the bills.
ReplyDeletewe are quite capable of losing with strictly domestic American born and raised players..why do we insist on bringing in these sub-par players from around the world to help us lose?? If were just going to lose lets at the very least use domestic players to do it.
ReplyDeleteThese are both guys that grew up in the South African rugby system and have played in Super Rugby, the Currie Cup, and the real Varsity Cup. That's much better rugby then what we're playing domestically. They're at least worth a look.
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